December 4, 2023 • 29 mins
Ready to explore the vibrant food scene of Chattanooga, Tennessee? Brace yourselves as we join Chef Jonathan Ferguson of Main Street Meats on an enchanting journey that will broaden your culinary horizons. An Alabama native with a European twist, Jonathan introduces us to the unique concept behind Main Street Meats - a charming blend of a restaurant and a butcher shop that promotes local farming and traditional butchering techniques. As we unravel Jonathan's life journey, you'll experience a heartening tale of his passion for outdoor activities and how the lively food culture and scenic trails of Chattanooga captured his heart.
Jonathan reveals the significance of supporting local farmers and preserving traditional butchery methods in providing an unparalleled culinary experience. We also gain insight into the astounding bar program, boasting a whiskey collection of over 280 bottles, further solidifying Chattanooga's status as a food destination. The discussion wraps up with an enlightening overview of the current state of the city's food scene and the instrumental role of Main Street Meats in shaping it. Whether you're a culinary enthusiast or a curious adventurer, this podcast offers fascinating insights into the world of food, the outdoors, and the spirited individuals stirring the pot.
Resources:
https://www.mainstreetmeatschatt.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MainStMeats
Instagram: @MainStreetMeats
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton, the
captivating travel podcast thattakes you on an extraordinary
adventure around the world.
I'm your host, jill Dutton, andI am thrilled to be your guide
through the mesmerizing tapestryof cultures, landscapes and
experiences that await us.
Global Journeys with JillDutton is more than just a
(00:24):
travel podcast.
It's an exploration of humanityitself.
Through the power ofstorytelling, we illuminate the
lives of the remarkableindividuals we encounter along
the way, whether it's throughthe eyes of a fishing guide, a
distillery owner, a mixologist,a historian, chef, or even a
farmer.
Each person we meet adds a richlayer to the narrative of
(00:47):
culture and place.
In this podcast, we embark on atransformative journey where
the focus goes beyond thetypical tourist attractions.
Instead, we dive deep into thehearts and souls of the places
we visit, uncovering the hiddengems and untold stories that
make each destination trulyunique.
Join me as we venture off thebeaten path, seeking
(01:10):
authenticity, connection and adeeper understanding of the
world we inhabit.
Together, we'll unravel thetapestry of cultures, one story
at a time.
Although my writing careerbegan in the late 90s, when I
created and launched a wellnesspublication called Evolving
Magazine, since 2015 I've workedas a travel writer on a mission
(01:31):
to seek out the locallycelebrated foods, liquor trends,
outdoor activities and storiesof those I meet along the way.
My work has been published inWine Enthusiast, a far woman's
world, first for women, insiderroad trippers, modern farmer
chilled magazine and many moredigital and print publications.
(01:52):
I'm also the creator of GlobalPlates the people we meet, the
food they eat a syndicatedcolumn.
Creating this podcast is thenext step in my journey of
sharing the stories of thepeople I've met along the way.
So pack your curiosity, leaveyour preconceived notions behind
and let's embark on GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton, where
(02:13):
each episode promises toinspire, educate and awaken the
wanderlust within us all.
Next week's episode of GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton we
traveled to Chattanooga,tennessee, to speak with an
artist I had met at the farmer'smarket selling his art.
This week takes us back againto Chattanooga, this time to
(02:36):
meet with Jonathan Ferguson,chef de cuisine at Main Street
Meats.
Main Street Meats is aneighborhood butcher shop and
restaurant located in the southside of Chattanooga, one of the
city's most thrivingneighborhoods.
Add voted to the reemergence ofthe traditional southern
butcher shop, co-owners Eric andAmanda Neal worked closely with
Chattanooga's surroundingfarmland to explore the
(02:58):
distinctive flavors of theregion.
In addition to a curated retailselection of meats, cheeses and
other provisions, main StreetMeats' restaurant menu is
updated daily for lunch anddinner, along with a rotating
list of craft beers, wine andcocktails.
Replacing a value on traditionand butchery as an art form, the
team utilizes whole animalbutchery as well as other craft
(03:21):
techniques that have survivedand evolved throughout
generations.
By supporting local farms whoare stewards of the land and
deeply committed to animalquality and care, main Street
Meats aims to create the bestexperience for the animal farmer
and the community.
The BAR program offers arotating list of cocktails,
including cocktails on draftcraft beer and a curated wine
(03:43):
list.
The spirit selections arewhiskey forward, featuring a
variety of over 280 bottles.
Our guest today, jonathanFerguson, grew up on the
northern Gulf Coast in Mobile,Alabama, with a 12-month growing
season, southern home cookingand some of the best seafood in
the country.
Jonathan learned to appreciatesimply prepared foods that
allowed the ingredients to shine.
(04:04):
It's a style of cooking thatguides his culinary career to
this day.
In high school, jonathan movedto Switzerland for a year and
traveled throughout Europe, anexperience that opened his mind
to all sorts of differentcultures, histories and cuisines
.
He's learned about people'sdifferences, but also the things
that bring people together.
More often than not, it wasaround a table of food that
Jonathan was able to find thosecommon threads.
(04:27):
His professional life broughtJonathan and his partner to
Chattanooga, a city that hadeverything they were looking for
hiking, camping, kayaking and awell-known chef named Eric Neal
.
Not only did Chef Neal have thecaliber of restaurants that
Jonathan had grown used to, healso seemed to be the type of
mentor who would give Jonathanthe room to grow both
professionally and personally.
(04:47):
Jonathan joined the team atMain Street Meats in 2022 as
sous chef and today runs thekitchen as chef to cuisine.
So, without further ado, pleasejoin me in welcoming Jonathan
Ferguson to Global Journeys withJill Dutton.
Jonathan, thank you for joiningus today and sharing your
insights on Main Street Meats,as well as the outdoor
recreation you found inChattanooga.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It's good to be here.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Before we dive into Main Street Meats and your work
there as chef to cuisines, let'slook briefly at Chattanooga as
a destination.
Since you're an outdoorenthusiast, I see that you enjoy
hiking and camping and kayaking.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
When you relocated with your partner to Chattanooga
.
What was it about the area?
Because I know it is like amecca for outdoor enthusiasts as
far as climbing and hiking andso many things to do.
What was it that drew you there, and how has the city lived up
to your expectations?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Well, you know, I think when we first, one of the
first things, you know, when wewere whittling down our list of
places that we wanted to go,Chad Nuga, just kept checking
all the yes boxes and one of thefirst things I think was just
the amount of trail heads withinlike a 30 minute drive of
downtown Chad Nuga is somethinglike 50 trail heads or something
(06:05):
.
So I mean, we knew that we weregoing to coming from Houston.
We would have to drive an hour,hour and a half just to get
away from the city to a halfwaydecent height where here in Chad
Nuga, I mean, we can go toStringer's Ridge, which is still
within the city limits, andhave a beautiful height.
And if you drive 30 minutesaway, I mean, you get into the
(06:27):
Cumberland Trail, you know,which is a really cool project
in the area of linking differentsegments of trails together,
creating one bigger trail.
That really kind of was likeall right, we know that we're
going to be able to do thethings we love, you know.
Then you put on top of thatthat it's, you know, not a small
(06:47):
town.
So for me and my line of work.
That helps.
And but also, you know, I spent, I spent a lot of time in
Chicago, I spent a lot of timein Houston and it was, you know,
having that sort of like urbanfeel at the same time was really
kind of.
I think what drew us here are,you know, not sacrificing any of
(07:09):
these kind of amenities that wehad grown used to.
But, but having access to allthe things that we really built.
The hiking has been number oneon our list of things that we
love doing here.
But you know kind of getting,you know taking the boat in, you
know, when my kids are here forthe summer, teaching them to
kayak and the creek and takingthem to swimming holes and all
(07:30):
of that kind of stuff.
I mean, it's just things that Iwas not getting.
That my soul needed.
For my career.
Chicago was great, Houston wasgreat that was all part of it.
But to be able to come to atown like Chattanooga, get all
of these things that I wasmissing in my life without
(07:50):
having to sacrifice, you know,the opportunity to work with a
great chef like Chef Eric Neal,it really just all started to
make sense and that's how weended up here.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
As far as Chattanooga is a destination, do you have
any specific suggestions forsomeone visiting?
As far as outdoor activities,because we're going to talk
about food, but I just want towrap up this, this topic.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, you know, like the thing about Chattanooga is a
destination is that when you'rein Chattanooga there are, like
I mean, so many things that youcan do just right here in
Chattanooga.
And I think that it's locationnot just, you know, the physical
beauty of its surroundings, butits proximity to other major
(08:33):
southern cities like Nashville,atlanta, birmingham.
People can come to Chattanoogaas a place to escape the hustle
and bustle of the big city.
But on the flip side of that,you know, there's so many rural
areas around.
You know we're surrounded by arural Eastern Tennessee, so
people can also come toChattanooga as a chance to get
to the big city.
(08:54):
So I think it's really uniquein that aspect that you have
people coming to visit here fortwo completely different
purposes.
And then, once you're here,it's I love getting out on the
Cumberland Trail.
You know there's a segmentright north of.
Chattanooga, it's the Rock Creeksegment or the Three Gorges
segment, with the Rock Creeksection and that which is, I
(09:17):
mean you're hiking and you're 30minutes from a good art scene,
you know a, you knowup-and-coming food scene, a
small city, and you can go on awalk and not see anything made
by man.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I think the ability to do that is you know what
makes Chattanooga so cool tocome and visit.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Perfect, Wonderful.
Thank you for that.
Okay, so let's go ahead anddive into your experiences and
Main Street Meats.
I read that you grew up inMobile and that you later spent
a year in Europe.
I can imagine that both ofthose really influenced your
style of cooking, but they're sodifferent, so I'm curious how
are those expressions showing upin the dishes that you prepare?
Well, you know.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I mean it's funny.
You know, like that time, youknow that year over in Europe, I
think you know it wasn't justabout the year in Europe, it was
about coming back and seeing,you know, the southeastern US
through eyes that I had not seenit before.
You know, like when you know Ihad seen just what I had seen
(10:18):
and that's it.
And then I went and saw a wholedifferent world, and then to
come back and look at the worldthat I had grown up in through a
new set of lenses.
Yeah, absolutely, it has aninfluence on the style, my style
of cooking, but I think a lotof it is just finding that
commonality, you know, betweencultures.
(10:41):
I think that was the biggestthing for me, you know, was.
You know I would look atsomething I had grown up eating
and then, you know, see it in adifferent culture, the same
interpretation of the idea.
Right, right, you know, andit's really neat to be in
Chattanooga where I can be kindof walking through the mountains
and, you know, feel like I'mback in Switzerland and then go
(11:06):
back and put on a dish that tookme back to that point in time
in my life but, as seen throughwhere I am right now.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Okay, so as far as Main Street Meats, what?
When you moved to Chattanooga?
Is that what brought you there?
And if so, what is it thatpiqued your interest enough to
lead you to Main Street Meats?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
The start of it all was Chef Eric Nail.
I, you know I knew I wanted tocome work for him.
You know we met a few timesbefore me, before I moved out
here, you know, talked by emailand decided it was going to be a
good fit.
But he didn't really have a spotfor me at the time and you know
he, but he, he made, he made aspot for me and I actually spent
(11:47):
the first six weeks or so I washere in the kitchen over at
Easy Beasts just kind of hangingout on the sidelines until they
needed some help over at MainStreet Meats, and so I went over
there.
I was like where do you tell mewhere to go?
I go, and it wasn't necessarilyone restaurant in particular
that drew me out here, but moreof a person that drew me out
(12:08):
here when it comes to my career.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I knew.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I wanted to work with someone like Eric Nail you know
, I've worked with some reallygreat chefs in the past and at
this point in my career I kindof I I want to decide who I'm
working with, not the other wayaround, and you know, and it's
worked out great for both of usso far.
You know it's interesting thatI ended up at Main Street Meats
because you know, in Houston Iwas, I was at a restaurant that
(12:35):
was more produce-stripped to theto go to a butcher shop.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Take care of the kitchen there it was.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
It was wildly different, but I think that part
of you know the success thatwe've had over the past couple
of years at Main Street Meats isprecisely because of that.
I approached the kitchen, youknow, with that background of
like, yeah, we have all thisbeautiful seasonal produce
available to us, especiallyduring the peak seasons.
There are so many differentthings we can do with that.
(13:06):
People are going to come toMain Street Meats and order
steaks.
They're just going to do itNothing you can do about it Now,
if we want to really, you know,expand our market and get you
know people in there that maynot want to come and eat steak
you know, you know we'reprobably not vegan but we will
put some dishes on the menubecause everybody's welcome
(13:29):
there and I think that mybackground, you know, in
seasonal produce-driven kitchenhas really led to a lot of
success there at.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Main Street Meats.
Can you share a little bitabout the philosophy behind Main
Street Meats being both arestaurant and a butchery?
How does that come together andwhat is kind of the reception,
I guess, but how does it affectthe dining experience?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
You know, I think you know.
From a customer perspective, Ithink it's really cool to be
able to walk in, get a dry-agedribeye and that's so good.
I just want that again andagain, and again and be able to
walk over to the counter and buythe same dry-aged ribeye to
take home and cook for yourself,Right.
(14:11):
You know, I think that aspect isreally cool, but I you know I
can go on for days about thephilosophy of bullets.
I love the fact that it's rightnext door to a bakery, because
then that again reminds me ofbeing back in Europe, where you
would go to the butcher shop andbuy your meat, then you go over
to the bakery buy your bread,then you would go over to the
market and buy your produce.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
And if you would go home, it wasn't this one
centralized grocery store orsupermarket.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
You went to different places that specialized in
different things.
So, having Needlub's Bakeryright next door to Main Street
Meats, they're using our product, we're using their product, and
people are shopping along theway as they walk down Main
Street.
I think it's a really uniquecustomer experience.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Oh for sure, and oh my gosh, that burger that I had
there was the best I've ever had, anytime you're grinding the
meat right there, you know, offthe whole animal, you know
you're gonna get a betterproduct.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
It's simple.
I mean, the fewer hands ittouches before it gets to your
mouth, the better.
And then you take on top ofthat just the practice of whole
animal butchery, something thatis lost in our culture, you know
, you just don't see it the wayyou used to see it, and these
are important things to hold onto, you know, not just because
(15:33):
it's reminds us where our foodcomes from, but I mean, I always
talk about the zombieapocalypse.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
You know you're gonna want a butcher.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
You know, like you know when we're all living off
the land and if nobody remembershow to do that, you know we've
lost this important part of ourown history of survival.
Now it's kind of a fun way tolook at it.
And then all of the stuff thatthey're doing with the meat.
You know all the chikouterythat they're making.
Again, you know we're notbuying our salami from some guy
(16:06):
that's loathing it off a truck.
We're taking the pork scrapsoff of the whole animal and you
know making salami out of that.
And you know, in going throughthese old techniques that have
existed for hundreds of years,yeah, and we're still keeping
those alive.
And I think that there'ssomething to be said for
remembering our past throughfood.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Oh, absolutely.
And what you said aboututilizing the entire animal.
When I was a kid growing up, mydad made scrapple.
Have you heard of?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
scrapple.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Yeah, and that originated, I believe, in
Pennsylvania, but it was thatusing up every piece of the
animal so that they could, andit was delicious, I mean, we
loved it and oxtail soup and youknow things like that that used
to be considered maybe a lesserpiece of meat, whereas now it's
being elevated into craft andbecoming this great asset.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
So I'm so happy to hear that you're doing that and
I think a lot of it also justgoes back to respect, you know,
like respect to the animal,respect to the rancher, respect
to the customer.
We are able to offer all ofthis stuff at a very reasonable
price because we are doingthings like using the whole
animal, you know I mean.
(17:19):
All of that translates to youknow what I hope to be a better
customer experience and beingable to get such great product,
you know, at your table at acost that's really not.
You're not gonna have thesticker shock that you might
have at some other restaurants.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Okay, yeah, Well, and I have one more question about
it.
So it's a Southern butcher shopand I'm just kind of curious
how do you define?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
traditional.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Southern butcher shop .
And how does Main Street meetsome body, this concept?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
A Southern butcher shop, because we're in the South
, yeah, and most of the guysworking in that butcher shop and
in that kitchen are from theSouth.
So, you know, we're sort of,you know, attacking it all from
that perspective.
But I mean we're also usingtechniques and ingredients that
came from the old world or fromAfrica or the South American,
(18:13):
central America.
We're celebrating and exploringthose techniques through our
own personal experiences, which,for the most part, are a bunch
of Southern guys so, and women.
But you know where?
It's not just that we're aSouthern butcher shop, it's that
(18:35):
you know we are a butcher shopthat not only explores how the
rest of these culturesinfluenced what we do today.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Sub-Execute in general has such a global
perspective.
If you look at influences fromAfrica, influences from Europe,
influences from Central America,it really allows us to explore
all of that with authenticity.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yes, yes.
And how about any signaturedishes or anything that's either
hyper-local?
I mean I know you sourceeverything from local farmers
and things like that, but I'mjust curious of, like the
peanuts in the Coke.
I mean that was an interesting,you know.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean you know we have a lot of
fun with stuff like that.
And yeah, you know, I mean wehave signature, we have
signature dishes.
But you know one thing that wereally strive to do in using
local as much local product aspossible, we always know what's
going to be available to us.
(19:40):
You know you get an email onMonday and then it shows up on
Wednesday.
You know we get an email sayingwe have all of this wonderful
produce available.
What do you want?
And then we want that and thenwe're going to make this out of
it, and so so much of what we dois constantly changing,
constantly evolving, based onwhat is readily available to us
(20:00):
in that moment.
So that kind of makes it hardfor us to have these signature
dishes.
You know, of course, our burger.
You know people are love ourburger.
People love coming in for ourdry age program and trying
different dry age cuts of beefand pork.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
And that potato salad .
That potato salad I had wasamazing.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
And so these sort of like staple things.
You know that we have thepotato salad, the birds, the dry
age program, all the steaksthat's.
People come in for that.
A lot of people from out oftown come in for that.
But we can't just rely onpeople from out of town.
So, you know, in order to keepour neighbors you know the
(20:42):
people who live right next doorand all around us keep them
coming in.
I think a lot of that comesfrom just our constant evolution
in our menu, things that changeweekly, and you know that sort
of excitement and entertainmentthat comes along with us.
Oh, you know, they got a newdip on this week, or there's a
(21:03):
new produce driven small plate.
I'm going to go try that oneout.
The last one was so great.
You know, keeping that you know.
So it's almost gotten to apoint where, yes, we have these
signature dishes, but people arealmost coming in more now to be
entertained by what we'reexploring with all the things
that are available to us in thatmoment.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Perfect, perfect.
Now you know this 280 differentwhiskey selection.
That's massive and I'm curious,do you know what led Eric and
Amanda to focus on that?
You know I mean to have thatlarge of a selection.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
You know I'll say this Eric Neal has forgotten
more about bourbon and whiskeythan I'll ever know, and so you
know, I think a lot of timeswith us in this industry, you
know, we find something we loveand then we just go down a
rabbit hole and you know, do allthe research and learn all of
the things.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
So he was just thinking meat and whiskey, yeah
you know, and it goes greattogether.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And you know what I think is really cool is his.
You know the ability of MainStreet Meats to offer all of
this these different whiskies topeople and in a way that
educates people.
So I mean people are almostcoming here and to I mean the
whiskey knowledge andChattanooga is great and I think
(22:25):
a lot of that has to do with,you know, the education that
Eric Neal has been able to givepeople through restaurants like
Main Street Meats and EasyBistro.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
And I know Chattanooga whiskey companies
represented there.
Are there other regional typebrands?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
I mean, you know Eric loves to go up into Kentucky
and you know pick some, you knowsingle barrels out from Weller.
He's recently gotten somethingfrom Buffalo Trace, then you
have Dickle, which is right herein Tennessee.
So yeah, I mean there's, we'resort of in like a hotbed for
(23:08):
whiskey.
Throw a stick and throw a rockand you'll find a probably a
pretty decent distillerysomewhere around here.
So I think that you know thatbeing here in the middle of it,
all you know helps people getinto it.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Mm-hmm.
Excellent Chattanooga as a fooddestination, then how does Main
Street Meats fit into that andis it typical, or is this
something unique to thedestination and someone visiting
Chattanooga?
How is it expanding as a foodiedestination?
Well, all right.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
So I mean mainstream meats is completely.
It's not just unique toChattanooga.
I think most people who comehere Do not have a local
neighborhood butcher shop andand if they do, I highly doubt
that they have a Localneighborhood butcher shop with
70 seats to sit down and enjoygreat meal from local produce to
(24:12):
local animals.
You know, it's a completelyunique experience, not just for
Chattanooga, but I think a largeportion of the population in
this country, I agree.
So I think that you know thatmakes it really unique and
different.
Now, when it comes toChattanooga's food scene as a
whole, you know it feels likeit's.
You know there are people thatwill say it's, it's a great food
(24:35):
town For its size.
It's.
You know it is a really greatfood town.
I still think it's in itsadolescence, though.
You know, and and when we're inour adolescence, we're starting
to identify ourselves outside ofour parents.
So we are starting to identifyourselves outside of these
bigger cities around us.
(24:55):
You know, you know, a lot oftimes, like when we're kids, you
know we, our identity, is basedaround our parents.
And then you know, and once weget into our adolescence, we
start trying new things, pushingaway from those Things that we
identified ourselves withpreviously to find our own
identity.
And I think that's kind ofwhere Chattanooga is right now.
(25:17):
There are a lot of like, thereare a lot of really talented
chefs finding their own voice,pushing, you know, what they
know and you know, and asChattanooga is growing because
it is growing, no denying thatMore perspectives are coming,
you know, both from the customeras well as new cooks and new
(25:39):
chefs, and myself included,coming in, bring in our own
perspective and Helping, youknow, be a part of that
conversation of like, what isthe Chattanooga food scene?
You know, I don't think we knowright now, we're still figuring
that out.
There are some, you know I willlove several restaurants in
(26:00):
this town, but most of them arekind of, you know, tucked away
in a seedy strip mall orsomething like that you know,
forever I will always love goingto breakfast at the Waffle
House.
So, as a destination man, thisis actually a really cool time
(26:21):
to be here because you'regetting to see it figure itself
out and, you know, while attimes that can be a little
confusing and, you know, maybenot everything works out, it's,
you know, all part of the growthto get to where we're gonna be
next excellent, Perfect Jonathan.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate you takingthe time to speak with me and
and Cheryl.
Now I'm hungry and I can't waitto return to Chattanooga again.
You know, because I'm in KansasCity, we're a meat city as well
.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I love Kansas City.
I that was a town I looked atfor a while.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Oh, no, kidding, yeah , I had a good friend from
Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
I used to go down before the July every year.
I love, I mean, we've got aLiberty, but yeah.
Yeah, I love Kansas City sowonderful.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Well, I can't wait to return to Chattanooga.
Needs more of the you knowSteaks and the hamburgers and
things that that mainstream meall the meets and that potato
salad I it's just such anunusual thing to keep thinking
about.
But you know it's a warm, butyet it was not like a German
style warm potato salad.
I mean it was.
It was like it was friedpotatoes and then it was just
(27:36):
incredible.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
It's hard to beat Terrifying how much I actually
eat.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Many calories are in it, but it's just such a
traditional dish, but yet youguys really made it.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
You know I think a lot of you know when we are
doing things like that, you knowwe're creating these paradoxes.
You know it's two differentthings at the same time and you
know, and I think that you know,we've taken this dish, it's
such a traditional, you know,side, he's especially in the
southern culture and then, kindof, you know, again, through our
travels, through ourexperiences, you know, looked at
(28:17):
it again through a differentset of eyes and created
something very unique.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Yes, Well, well, jonathan, thank you so very much
, and I can't wait to come backand visit again.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
All right, thank you.
Thank you, jill, and you have agreat rest of your day.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
You too.
Thanks, jonathan.
As we travel on this excitingpodcasting journey together, I
invite you our incredibleaudience to be a part of it.
Share your own travel stories,insights and recommendations
with us, whether you have ahidden gem in your hometown or a
(28:53):
dream destination that hascaptured your imagination, we
want to hear from you.
Your suggestions will helpshape the future episodes of
global journeys with Jill Dutton, guiding us towards
extraordinary locations andexperiences that deserve a
spotlight.
Remember, this podcast is notabout just the host or the
guests.
It's about the collectiveexploration and discovery that
(29:14):
unites us all as Wanderers inthis vast world.
So reach out to us through ourwebsite, social media channels
or email and let your voice beheard.
Send your suggestions to me atJill at Global journeys with
Jill Dutton dot com.
I can't wait to hear from you.
Until next time, may yourtravels be filled with endless
(29:35):
curiosity, open-heartedencounters and transformative
adventures.
Safe travels, fellow explorers,and keep wandering.
Welcome to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton, the
captivating travel podcast thattakes you on an extraordinary
adventure around the world.
I'm your host, jill Dutton, andI am thrilled to be your guide
through the mesmerizing tapestryof cultures, landscapes and
experiences that await us.
Global Journeys with JillDutton is more than just a
(00:24):
travel podcast.
It's an exploration of humanityitself.
Through the power ofstorytelling, we illuminate the
lives of the remarkableindividuals we encounter along
the way, whether it's throughthe eyes of a fishing guide, a
distillery owner, a mixologist,a historian, chef, or even a
farmer.
Each person we meet adds a richlayer to the narrative of
(00:47):
culture and place.
In this podcast, we embark on atransformative journey where
the focus goes beyond thetypical tourist attractions.
Instead, we dive deep into thehearts and souls of the places
we visit, uncovering the hiddengems and untold stories that
make each destination trulyunique.
Join me as we venture off thebeaten path, seeking
(01:10):
authenticity, connection and adeeper understanding of the
world we inhabit.
Together, we'll unravel thetapestry of cultures, one story
at a time.
Although my writing careerbegan in the late 90s, when I
created and launched a wellnesspublication called Evolving
Magazine, since 2015 I've workedas a travel writer on a mission
(01:31):
to seek out the locallycelebrated foods, liquor trends,
outdoor activities and storiesof those I meet along the way.
My work has been published inWine Enthusiast, a far woman's
world, first for women, insiderroad trippers, modern farmer
chilled magazine and many moredigital and print publications.
(01:52):
I'm also the creator of GlobalPlates the people we meet, the
food they eat a syndicatedcolumn.
Creating this podcast is thenext step in my journey of
sharing the stories of thepeople I've met along the way.
So pack your curiosity, leaveyour preconceived notions behind
and let's embark on GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton, where
(02:13):
each episode promises toinspire, educate and awaken the
wanderlust within us all.
Next week's episode of GlobalJourneys with Jill Dutton we
traveled to Chattanooga,tennessee, to speak with an
artist I had met at the farmer'smarket selling his art.
This week takes us back againto Chattanooga, this time to
(02:36):
meet with Jonathan Ferguson,chef de cuisine at Main Street
Meats.
Main Street Meats is aneighborhood butcher shop and
restaurant located in the southside of Chattanooga, one of the
city's most thrivingneighborhoods.
Add voted to the reemergence ofthe traditional southern
butcher shop, co-owners Eric andAmanda Neal worked closely with
Chattanooga's surroundingfarmland to explore the
(02:58):
distinctive flavors of theregion.
In addition to a curated retailselection of meats, cheeses and
other provisions, main StreetMeats' restaurant menu is
updated daily for lunch anddinner, along with a rotating
list of craft beers, wine andcocktails.
Replacing a value on traditionand butchery as an art form, the
team utilizes whole animalbutchery as well as other craft
(03:21):
techniques that have survivedand evolved throughout
generations.
By supporting local farms whoare stewards of the land and
deeply committed to animalquality and care, main Street
Meats aims to create the bestexperience for the animal farmer
and the community.
The BAR program offers arotating list of cocktails,
including cocktails on draftcraft beer and a curated wine
(03:43):
list.
The spirit selections arewhiskey forward, featuring a
variety of over 280 bottles.
Our guest today, jonathanFerguson, grew up on the
northern Gulf Coast in Mobile,Alabama, with a 12-month growing
season, southern home cookingand some of the best seafood in
the country.
Jonathan learned to appreciatesimply prepared foods that
allowed the ingredients to shine.
(04:04):
It's a style of cooking thatguides his culinary career to
this day.
In high school, jonathan movedto Switzerland for a year and
traveled throughout Europe, anexperience that opened his mind
to all sorts of differentcultures, histories and cuisines
.
He's learned about people'sdifferences, but also the things
that bring people together.
More often than not, it wasaround a table of food that
Jonathan was able to find thosecommon threads.
(04:27):
His professional life broughtJonathan and his partner to
Chattanooga, a city that hadeverything they were looking for
hiking, camping, kayaking and awell-known chef named Eric Neal
.
Not only did Chef Neal have thecaliber of restaurants that
Jonathan had grown used to, healso seemed to be the type of
mentor who would give Jonathanthe room to grow both
professionally and personally.
(04:47):
Jonathan joined the team atMain Street Meats in 2022 as
sous chef and today runs thekitchen as chef to cuisine.
So, without further ado, pleasejoin me in welcoming Jonathan
Ferguson to Global Journeys withJill Dutton.
Jonathan, thank you for joiningus today and sharing your
insights on Main Street Meats,as well as the outdoor
recreation you found inChattanooga.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It's good to be here.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Before we dive into Main Street Meats and your work
there as chef to cuisines, let'slook briefly at Chattanooga as
a destination.
Since you're an outdoorenthusiast, I see that you enjoy
hiking and camping and kayaking.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
When you relocated with your partner to Chattanooga
.
What was it about the area?
Because I know it is like amecca for outdoor enthusiasts as
far as climbing and hiking andso many things to do.
What was it that drew you there, and how has the city lived up
to your expectations?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Well, you know, I think when we first, one of the
first things, you know, when wewere whittling down our list of
places that we wanted to go,Chad Nuga, just kept checking
all the yes boxes and one of thefirst things I think was just
the amount of trail heads withinlike a 30 minute drive of
downtown Chad Nuga is somethinglike 50 trail heads or something
(06:05):
.
So I mean, we knew that we weregoing to coming from Houston.
We would have to drive an hour,hour and a half just to get
away from the city to a halfwaydecent height where here in Chad
Nuga, I mean, we can go toStringer's Ridge, which is still
within the city limits, andhave a beautiful height.
And if you drive 30 minutesaway, I mean, you get into the
(06:27):
Cumberland Trail, you know,which is a really cool project
in the area of linking differentsegments of trails together,
creating one bigger trail.
That really kind of was likeall right, we know that we're
going to be able to do thethings we love, you know.
Then you put on top of thatthat it's, you know, not a small
(06:47):
town.
So for me and my line of work.
That helps.
And but also, you know, I spent, I spent a lot of time in
Chicago, I spent a lot of timein Houston and it was, you know,
having that sort of like urbanfeel at the same time was really
kind of.
I think what drew us here are,you know, not sacrificing any of
(07:09):
these kind of amenities that wehad grown used to.
But, but having access to allthe things that we really built.
The hiking has been number oneon our list of things that we
love doing here.
But you know kind of getting,you know taking the boat in, you
know, when my kids are here forthe summer, teaching them to
kayak and the creek and takingthem to swimming holes and all
(07:30):
of that kind of stuff.
I mean, it's just things that Iwas not getting.
That my soul needed.
For my career.
Chicago was great, Houston wasgreat that was all part of it.
But to be able to come to atown like Chattanooga, get all
of these things that I wasmissing in my life without
(07:50):
having to sacrifice, you know,the opportunity to work with a
great chef like Chef Eric Neal,it really just all started to
make sense and that's how weended up here.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
As far as Chattanooga is a destination, do you have
any specific suggestions forsomeone visiting?
As far as outdoor activities,because we're going to talk
about food, but I just want towrap up this, this topic.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, you know, like the thing about Chattanooga is a
destination is that when you'rein Chattanooga there are, like
I mean, so many things that youcan do just right here in
Chattanooga.
And I think that it's locationnot just, you know, the physical
beauty of its surroundings, butits proximity to other major
(08:33):
southern cities like Nashville,atlanta, birmingham.
People can come to Chattanoogaas a place to escape the hustle
and bustle of the big city.
But on the flip side of that,you know, there's so many rural
areas around.
You know we're surrounded by arural Eastern Tennessee, so
people can also come toChattanooga as a chance to get
to the big city.
(08:54):
So I think it's really uniquein that aspect that you have
people coming to visit here fortwo completely different
purposes.
And then, once you're here,it's I love getting out on the
Cumberland Trail.
You know there's a segmentright north of.
Chattanooga, it's the Rock Creeksegment or the Three Gorges
segment, with the Rock Creeksection and that which is, I
(09:17):
mean you're hiking and you're 30minutes from a good art scene,
you know a, you knowup-and-coming food scene, a
small city, and you can go on awalk and not see anything made
by man.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I think the ability to do that is you know what
makes Chattanooga so cool tocome and visit.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Perfect, Wonderful.
Thank you for that.
Okay, so let's go ahead anddive into your experiences and
Main Street Meats.
I read that you grew up inMobile and that you later spent
a year in Europe.
I can imagine that both ofthose really influenced your
style of cooking, but they're sodifferent, so I'm curious how
are those expressions showing upin the dishes that you prepare?
Well, you know.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I mean it's funny.
You know, like that time, youknow that year over in Europe, I
think you know it wasn't justabout the year in Europe, it was
about coming back and seeing,you know, the southeastern US
through eyes that I had not seenit before.
You know, like when you know Ihad seen just what I had seen
(10:18):
and that's it.
And then I went and saw a wholedifferent world, and then to
come back and look at the worldthat I had grown up in through a
new set of lenses.
Yeah, absolutely, it has aninfluence on the style, my style
of cooking, but I think a lotof it is just finding that
commonality, you know, betweencultures.
(10:41):
I think that was the biggestthing for me, you know, was.
You know I would look atsomething I had grown up eating
and then, you know, see it in adifferent culture, the same
interpretation of the idea.
Right, right, you know, andit's really neat to be in
Chattanooga where I can be kindof walking through the mountains
and, you know, feel like I'mback in Switzerland and then go
(11:06):
back and put on a dish that tookme back to that point in time
in my life but, as seen throughwhere I am right now.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Okay, so as far as Main Street Meats, what?
When you moved to Chattanooga?
Is that what brought you there?
And if so, what is it thatpiqued your interest enough to
lead you to Main Street Meats?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
The start of it all was Chef Eric Nail.
I, you know I knew I wanted tocome work for him.
You know we met a few timesbefore me, before I moved out
here, you know, talked by emailand decided it was going to be a
good fit.
But he didn't really have a spotfor me at the time and you know
he, but he, he made, he made aspot for me and I actually spent
(11:47):
the first six weeks or so I washere in the kitchen over at
Easy Beasts just kind of hangingout on the sidelines until they
needed some help over at MainStreet Meats, and so I went over
there.
I was like where do you tell mewhere to go?
I go, and it wasn't necessarilyone restaurant in particular
that drew me out here, but moreof a person that drew me out
(12:08):
here when it comes to my career.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I knew.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I wanted to work with someone like Eric Nail you know
, I've worked with some reallygreat chefs in the past and at
this point in my career I kindof I I want to decide who I'm
working with, not the other wayaround, and you know, and it's
worked out great for both of usso far.
You know it's interesting thatI ended up at Main Street Meats
because you know, in Houston Iwas, I was at a restaurant that
(12:35):
was more produce-stripped to theto go to a butcher shop.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Take care of the kitchen there it was.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
It was wildly different, but I think that part
of you know the success thatwe've had over the past couple
of years at Main Street Meats isprecisely because of that.
I approached the kitchen, youknow, with that background of
like, yeah, we have all thisbeautiful seasonal produce
available to us, especiallyduring the peak seasons.
There are so many differentthings we can do with that.
(13:06):
People are going to come toMain Street Meats and order
steaks.
They're just going to do itNothing you can do about it Now,
if we want to really, you know,expand our market and get you
know people in there that maynot want to come and eat steak
you know, you know we'reprobably not vegan but we will
put some dishes on the menubecause everybody's welcome
(13:29):
there and I think that mybackground, you know, in
seasonal produce-driven kitchenhas really led to a lot of
success there at.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Main Street Meats.
Can you share a little bitabout the philosophy behind Main
Street Meats being both arestaurant and a butchery?
How does that come together andwhat is kind of the reception,
I guess, but how does it affectthe dining experience?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
You know, I think you know.
From a customer perspective, Ithink it's really cool to be
able to walk in, get a dry-agedribeye and that's so good.
I just want that again andagain, and again and be able to
walk over to the counter and buythe same dry-aged ribeye to
take home and cook for yourself,Right.
(14:11):
You know, I think that aspect isreally cool, but I you know I
can go on for days about thephilosophy of bullets.
I love the fact that it's rightnext door to a bakery, because
then that again reminds me ofbeing back in Europe, where you
would go to the butcher shop andbuy your meat, then you go over
to the bakery buy your bread,then you would go over to the
market and buy your produce.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
And if you would go home, it wasn't this one
centralized grocery store orsupermarket.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
You went to different places that specialized in
different things.
So, having Needlub's Bakeryright next door to Main Street
Meats, they're using our product, we're using their product, and
people are shopping along theway as they walk down Main
Street.
I think it's a really uniquecustomer experience.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Oh for sure, and oh my gosh, that burger that I had
there was the best I've ever had, anytime you're grinding the
meat right there, you know, offthe whole animal, you know
you're gonna get a betterproduct.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
It's simple.
I mean, the fewer hands ittouches before it gets to your
mouth, the better.
And then you take on top ofthat just the practice of whole
animal butchery, something thatis lost in our culture, you know
, you just don't see it the wayyou used to see it, and these
are important things to hold onto, you know, not just because
(15:33):
it's reminds us where our foodcomes from, but I mean, I always
talk about the zombieapocalypse.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
You know you're gonna want a butcher.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
You know, like you know when we're all living off
the land and if nobody remembershow to do that, you know we've
lost this important part of ourown history of survival.
Now it's kind of a fun way tolook at it.
And then all of the stuff thatthey're doing with the meat.
You know all the chikouterythat they're making.
Again, you know we're notbuying our salami from some guy
(16:06):
that's loathing it off a truck.
We're taking the pork scrapsoff of the whole animal and you
know making salami out of that.
And you know, in going throughthese old techniques that have
existed for hundreds of years,yeah, and we're still keeping
those alive.
And I think that there'ssomething to be said for
remembering our past throughfood.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Oh, absolutely.
And what you said aboututilizing the entire animal.
When I was a kid growing up, mydad made scrapple.
Have you heard of?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
scrapple.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Yeah, and that originated, I believe, in
Pennsylvania, but it was thatusing up every piece of the
animal so that they could, andit was delicious, I mean, we
loved it and oxtail soup and youknow things like that that used
to be considered maybe a lesserpiece of meat, whereas now it's
being elevated into craft andbecoming this great asset.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
So I'm so happy to hear that you're doing that and
I think a lot of it also justgoes back to respect, you know,
like respect to the animal,respect to the rancher, respect
to the customer.
We are able to offer all ofthis stuff at a very reasonable
price because we are doingthings like using the whole
animal, you know I mean.
(17:19):
All of that translates to youknow what I hope to be a better
customer experience and beingable to get such great product,
you know, at your table at acost that's really not.
You're not gonna have thesticker shock that you might
have at some other restaurants.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Okay, yeah, Well, and I have one more question about
it.
So it's a Southern butcher shopand I'm just kind of curious
how do you define?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
traditional.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Southern butcher shop .
And how does Main Street meetsome body, this concept?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
A Southern butcher shop, because we're in the South
, yeah, and most of the guysworking in that butcher shop and
in that kitchen are from theSouth.
So, you know, we're sort of,you know, attacking it all from
that perspective.
But I mean we're also usingtechniques and ingredients that
came from the old world or fromAfrica or the South American,
(18:13):
central America.
We're celebrating and exploringthose techniques through our
own personal experiences, which,for the most part, are a bunch
of Southern guys so, and women.
But you know where?
It's not just that we're aSouthern butcher shop, it's that
(18:35):
you know we are a butcher shopthat not only explores how the
rest of these culturesinfluenced what we do today.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Sub-Execute in general has such a global
perspective.
If you look at influences fromAfrica, influences from Europe,
influences from Central America,it really allows us to explore
all of that with authenticity.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yes, yes.
And how about any signaturedishes or anything that's either
hyper-local?
I mean I know you sourceeverything from local farmers
and things like that, but I'mjust curious of, like the
peanuts in the Coke.
I mean that was an interesting,you know.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean you know we have a lot of
fun with stuff like that.
And yeah, you know, I mean wehave signature, we have
signature dishes.
But you know one thing that wereally strive to do in using
local as much local product aspossible, we always know what's
going to be available to us.
(19:40):
You know you get an email onMonday and then it shows up on
Wednesday.
You know we get an email sayingwe have all of this wonderful
produce available.
What do you want?
And then we want that and thenwe're going to make this out of
it, and so so much of what we dois constantly changing,
constantly evolving, based onwhat is readily available to us
(20:00):
in that moment.
So that kind of makes it hardfor us to have these signature
dishes.
You know, of course, our burger.
You know people are love ourburger.
People love coming in for ourdry age program and trying
different dry age cuts of beefand pork.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
And that potato salad .
That potato salad I had wasamazing.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
And so these sort of like staple things.
You know that we have thepotato salad, the birds, the dry
age program, all the steaksthat's.
People come in for that.
A lot of people from out oftown come in for that.
But we can't just rely onpeople from out of town.
So, you know, in order to keepour neighbors you know the
(20:42):
people who live right next doorand all around us keep them
coming in.
I think a lot of that comesfrom just our constant evolution
in our menu, things that changeweekly, and you know that sort
of excitement and entertainmentthat comes along with us.
Oh, you know, they got a newdip on this week, or there's a
(21:03):
new produce driven small plate.
I'm going to go try that oneout.
The last one was so great.
You know, keeping that you know.
So it's almost gotten to apoint where, yes, we have these
signature dishes, but people arealmost coming in more now to be
entertained by what we'reexploring with all the things
that are available to us in thatmoment.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Perfect, perfect.
Now you know this 280 differentwhiskey selection.
That's massive and I'm curious,do you know what led Eric and
Amanda to focus on that?
You know I mean to have thatlarge of a selection.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
You know I'll say this Eric Neal has forgotten
more about bourbon and whiskeythan I'll ever know, and so you
know, I think a lot of timeswith us in this industry, you
know, we find something we loveand then we just go down a
rabbit hole and you know, do allthe research and learn all of
the things.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
So he was just thinking meat and whiskey, yeah
you know, and it goes greattogether.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And you know what I think is really cool is his.
You know the ability of MainStreet Meats to offer all of
this these different whiskies topeople and in a way that
educates people.
So I mean people are almostcoming here and to I mean the
whiskey knowledge andChattanooga is great and I think
(22:25):
a lot of that has to do with,you know, the education that
Eric Neal has been able to givepeople through restaurants like
Main Street Meats and EasyBistro.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
And I know Chattanooga whiskey companies
represented there.
Are there other regional typebrands?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
I mean, you know Eric loves to go up into Kentucky
and you know pick some, you knowsingle barrels out from Weller.
He's recently gotten somethingfrom Buffalo Trace, then you
have Dickle, which is right herein Tennessee.
So yeah, I mean there's, we'resort of in like a hotbed for
(23:08):
whiskey.
Throw a stick and throw a rockand you'll find a probably a
pretty decent distillerysomewhere around here.
So I think that you know thatbeing here in the middle of it,
all you know helps people getinto it.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Mm-hmm.
Excellent Chattanooga as a fooddestination, then how does Main
Street Meats fit into that andis it typical, or is this
something unique to thedestination and someone visiting
Chattanooga?
How is it expanding as a foodiedestination?
Well, all right.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
So I mean mainstream meats is completely.
It's not just unique toChattanooga.
I think most people who comehere Do not have a local
neighborhood butcher shop andand if they do, I highly doubt
that they have a Localneighborhood butcher shop with
70 seats to sit down and enjoygreat meal from local produce to
(24:12):
local animals.
You know, it's a completelyunique experience, not just for
Chattanooga, but I think a largeportion of the population in
this country, I agree.
So I think that you know thatmakes it really unique and
different.
Now, when it comes toChattanooga's food scene as a
whole, you know it feels likeit's.
You know there are people thatwill say it's, it's a great food
(24:35):
town For its size.
It's.
You know it is a really greatfood town.
I still think it's in itsadolescence, though.
You know, and and when we're inour adolescence, we're starting
to identify ourselves outside ofour parents.
So we are starting to identifyourselves outside of these
bigger cities around us.
(24:55):
You know, you know, a lot oftimes, like when we're kids, you
know we, our identity, is basedaround our parents.
And then you know, and once weget into our adolescence, we
start trying new things, pushingaway from those Things that we
identified ourselves withpreviously to find our own
identity.
And I think that's kind ofwhere Chattanooga is right now.
(25:17):
There are a lot of like, thereare a lot of really talented
chefs finding their own voice,pushing, you know, what they
know and you know, and asChattanooga is growing because
it is growing, no denying thatMore perspectives are coming,
you know, both from the customeras well as new cooks and new
(25:39):
chefs, and myself included,coming in, bring in our own
perspective and Helping, youknow, be a part of that
conversation of like, what isthe Chattanooga food scene?
You know, I don't think we knowright now, we're still figuring
that out.
There are some, you know I willlove several restaurants in
(26:00):
this town, but most of them arekind of, you know, tucked away
in a seedy strip mall orsomething like that you know,
forever I will always love goingto breakfast at the Waffle
House.
So, as a destination man, thisis actually a really cool time
(26:21):
to be here because you'regetting to see it figure itself
out and, you know, while attimes that can be a little
confusing and, you know, maybenot everything works out, it's,
you know, all part of the growthto get to where we're gonna be
next excellent, Perfect Jonathan.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate you takingthe time to speak with me and
and Cheryl.
Now I'm hungry and I can't waitto return to Chattanooga again.
You know, because I'm in KansasCity, we're a meat city as well
.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I love Kansas City.
I that was a town I looked atfor a while.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Oh, no, kidding, yeah , I had a good friend from
Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
I used to go down before the July every year.
I love, I mean, we've got aLiberty, but yeah.
Yeah, I love Kansas City sowonderful.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Well, I can't wait to return to Chattanooga.
Needs more of the you knowSteaks and the hamburgers and
things that that mainstream meall the meets and that potato
salad I it's just such anunusual thing to keep thinking
about.
But you know it's a warm, butyet it was not like a German
style warm potato salad.
I mean it was.
It was like it was friedpotatoes and then it was just
(27:36):
incredible.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
It's hard to beat Terrifying how much I actually
eat.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Many calories are in it, but it's just such a
traditional dish, but yet youguys really made it.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
You know I think a lot of you know when we are
doing things like that, you knowwe're creating these paradoxes.
You know it's two differentthings at the same time and you
know, and I think that you know,we've taken this dish, it's
such a traditional, you know,side, he's especially in the
southern culture and then, kindof, you know, again, through our
travels, through ourexperiences, you know, looked at
(28:17):
it again through a differentset of eyes and created
something very unique.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Yes, Well, well, jonathan, thank you so very much
, and I can't wait to come backand visit again.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
All right, thank you.
Thank you, jill, and you have agreat rest of your day.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
You too.
Thanks, jonathan.
As we travel on this excitingpodcasting journey together, I
invite you our incredibleaudience to be a part of it.
Share your own travel stories,insights and recommendations
with us, whether you have ahidden gem in your hometown or a
(28:53):
dream destination that hascaptured your imagination, we
want to hear from you.
Your suggestions will helpshape the future episodes of
global journeys with Jill Dutton, guiding us towards
extraordinary locations andexperiences that deserve a
spotlight.
Remember, this podcast is notabout just the host or the
guests.
It's about the collectiveexploration and discovery that
(29:14):
unites us all as Wanderers inthis vast world.
So reach out to us through ourwebsite, social media channels
or email and let your voice beheard.
Send your suggestions to me atJill at Global journeys with
Jill Dutton dot com.
I can't wait to hear from you.
Until next time, may yourtravels be filled with endless
(29:35):
curiosity, open-heartedencounters and transformative
adventures.
Safe travels, fellow explorers,and keep wandering.
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